In mid-2012 rumors surfaced that Boost Mobile might begin offering the iPhone late in the year. Those rumors didn't come to fruition, but a new tweet from @evleaks (via 9to5Mac) suggests that the Sprint subsidiary might gain the iPhone during the third quarter of 2013.

Boost Mobile is known for its $50 per month plan, which includes unlimited talk time, unlimited texting, and unlimited data. With Shrinkage, a reward for paying bills in a timely manner, Boost Mobile unlimited plans can go as low as $35. It is not known, however, if the carrier's current plans will apply to the iPhone.

This would be very cool. It would be smart if Apple brought out their less-expensive iPhone+ (or whatever they're calling it now) concurrently with a Boost Mobile announcement, to tap into the low-cost phone market directly.

Boost Mobile is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint Nextel and uses its network, so this kind of collaboration makes a decent amount of sense.